The Bible tells us to love our neighbors and also to love our enemies; probably because
the are generally the same people. This was certainly true in Nehemiah’s time. His arrival
in Jerusalem was a threat to those leaders and tribes and nations around him. A strong
Jerusalem would endanger the balance of power in the region, and it would also rob
Sanballat and his friends of influence and wealth.
We find ourselves about at the halfway point in the rebuilding of the wall. As a matter of
fact in 4:6, Nehemiah even recorded that it as “joined together up to half its height”. As
the work is being accomplished and the people are honoring God with their efforts, we
find that there were thundering voices of doubt all around Nehemiah. He was getting
reports of plans to kill him and was even starting to hear the rumblings of grumbling from
within his own ranks. I am sure that He began to have a few doubts as to the ultimate
success of the building project, was probably fearing for his own life and for that of his
workers and also was having to expend great amounts of time and energy to “shore up” or
to encourage those around him.
What about you? What will you do when you begin to doubt? What will you do when
others come against you and ask you to quit what you are doing for God? What will you
do when there are opponents in life? When you attempt to do something for God, when I
yearn to live for God, when you strive to serve God, when we long to honor God with
everything that we are and with everything that we do you had better expect opposition
along the way and I had better opposition along the way, we had better expect opposition
along the way.
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Any cause worth doing is also a cause that someone will feel they need to criticize! Any
cause worth doing is also a cause that someone will feel that they need to criticize! All
great causes have had great critics. It was Aristotle who said, “You can avoid opposition
by saying nothing, doing nothing, being nothing!”
We learned a little last week about the effect of the Big Mo and how when something is
starting to move and to gain speed and to be effective for God that others see it and want
to be a part of it. Well when the wheel of the Big Mo starts to move it creates friction.
That friction creates heat, and that heat is the opposition and obstacles that we come
against in life. That friction and that heat will be the opposition and the heat that we will
come against as we attempt to honor God in developing this church into the church that
He desires for her to be. that friction and that heat is what Nehemiah found himself
coming against as He rebuilt the wall to Honor His God!
An interesting thought here, when we come against opposition, when you come against
opposition, when I come against opposition maybe we need to look at it as a direct result
that the wheel of momentum is moving and that we are being effective for God.
Opposition will hit all of our lives. I saw a bumper sticker the other day that summed it
fairly well, it said, “Some days you are the windshield and some days you are the bug”. I
think that is a kinder, gentler way of saying, “Some days you are the monument and some
days you are the pigeon”. When I view opposition through the lens of being effective for
God, it suddenly changes not only what I see but also how I actually view it, for with
God all things are possible! Especially when we are in line with His will and plan for our
lives.
Opposition is going to happen. There are accounts recorded throughout God’s word of
opposition that the greats of the faith faced. Moses faced 40 years of griping and
complaining. It of course started with Pharaoh and his army but probably even worse was
the constant griping and complaining from within his own ranks, the Israelites, the ones
whom he was leading. He faced continual conflict and continual criticism. Remember the
shepherd boy David as he came against Goliath and how Goliath “trash talked” him and
made fun of not only David but the entire nation of Israel. Jesus especially had critics and
he had them to the point of death! Opposition is going to happen!
I could not print all of today’s text, however I have listed on your sermon outline the
references for today so that you can do some study on your own and hopefully be able to
flesh out even more the ideas that we talk about. The main things that I would like to talk
about today are the methods or types of opposition that were brought against Nehemiah
and that we will ultimately all face at one or another, and also what our response should
be.
Nehemiah’s two main opponents were Sanballet and Tobiah. Later on a guy by the name
of Geshem is added and even a fourth one named Shemaiah in chapter 6:10. This group
employed ten methods of opposition. We find ten different ways in which they came
against Nehemiah in attempting to stop work on the wall. When we face opposition
normally we face 2 or maybe three of these methods, however Nehemiah faced all ten. So
let’s get started mining the tactics that were used against Nehemiah and are still used
today against you and against me.
1. Ridicule, ridicule! We find way back in 2:19 that the mocking, the laughing and the
contempt had started. Ridicule comes from the word ridiculous and we find that it means
words or actions intended to bring forth laughter at a person or thing, or maybe absurd or
even preposterous. Ridicule is a cheap substitute for reason. When a person cannot
reason something out, they may attempt to ridicule it out.
2 Turn up The Heat! Turn up the heat. Very seldom will the opponents in our life
come at us with everything that they have from the outset. Most of the time they will start
small and as they meet resistance or do not experience the success that they are looking
for they go further into their bag of mocking, manipulation and rumor. Look again at
2:19, it says that Sanballet and Tobiah laughed at us and despised us, then when that did
not work they became furious and indignant we read in 4:1 and when that did not have the
desired effect they turned up the heat another notch and in 6:10 we find that they had
plotted to actually kill Nehemiah. So if at first you don’t succeed as an opposer to a great
act or work of God, I guess the moral of the story is that you must try and try and try
again. But the great thing about this is that God is bigger and God is greater and God is
more powerful than any amount of opposition, complaining and plotting!
3. Misrepresentations! Misrepresentations. In 4:2 we find Sanballat asking a mocking
sort of question and he essentially said, “will they restore their wall’? Did you catch that
little twist? “Will they restore their wall?” This wasn’t their wall, it wasn’t Nehemiah’s
wall. This wasn’t a project of man but rather of God. The wall that they found
themselves working belonged to God.
What about your life? Are there things in your life that you have been attempting to build
or maybe to rebuild and others are mocking you and taking potshots at you probably from
behind a safe wall somewhere? How do you view that project? Is it yours or maybe the
companies that you work for? Or do you view it as God’s property, God’s project and
maybe God’s plan? When you and when I change our focus as to how we look at things
in our lives, and begin to view all things as God’s property, God’s gifts, as God’s stuff,
we are freed from a great deal of bondage and are empowered to attack the project with a
fresh wind of the Holy Spirit and with a fresh fire burning from deep within us.
4. Personal Attacks! Personal Attacks! When those who are opposing us have little
success with some of the other methods they attack us personally. When this happens it is
a sign that the person is desperate for a win. For those of you familiar with debating you
remember that you can attack the persons idea, you can attack the persons method of
defending their idea, you can attack the defense itself and if all else fails you can attack the
person. This is kind of a “last ditch” effort to win at any cost. So if people begin to attack
you or maybe to attack me, they are desperate!
5. Exaggeration! Exaggeration! Look at verse 3 of chapter 4. “Tobiah the Ammorite
was beside Sanballat, and he said, “ Whatever they build, if even a tiny fox were to run
on it it would fall down.” Quite an exaggeration I am sure that you will agree, especially
since we learned last week that archeologists have uncovered portions of the wall around
Jerusalem and have found it to be as much as 9 feet thick in some places. Nine feet! that
would take a pretty big fox to break it down.
6. Manipulation and Intimidation! Manipulation and intimidation! This is the trash
talking that goes on regardless if it is on basketball court, in the office conference room or
even in the halls of a church. You have heard it, I am sure. “If you don’t, I ma taking my
ball and going home”, or maybe “if you do that I am telling the boss” or even “ if you
don’t you will never get promoted” and what bout in the halls here or maybe at some
other church, “people will leave the church if you do” or “if you don’t” and the one that
I like the best, “God told me that you should or maybe that you shouldn’t”. Look at 6:2
where it says, “but they thought to do me harm”. Nehemiah knew that Sanballat and
Tobiah and the rest were out to get him. Why or rather how did he know that, they had
started small and began to work up or rather to turn up the heat. But the great thing
about Nehemiah is that he not only knew and understood the attempts at manipulation but
that he kept on going. Nehemiah kept on praying, he kept on leading, he kept on working
to honor the calling that God had placed on his life. What about you? Do you shrink
from opposition or do you “keep on keeping on” for God?
7. Constant Nagging! Constant Nagging! 6:4 “but they sent me this message four
times”. And yet each time Nehemiah responded in the same manner, “I am doing a great
work so I cannot come down” Wow, Nehemiah knew his calling and he kept on going,
regardless of the nagging and the pot shots that were being leveled at him.
Satan is hard at work in our midst. He uses the exact same methods to discourage us and
to oppose us as they used against Nehemiah. Most people have somehow gotten a false
sense of security in that they believe that as long as Satan doesn’t win the war, that he
hasn’t been successful. Oh how wrong that is. For you see when someone nags you and
hounds you and rides you, your attention is distracted from your task, your productivity
is hampered. In those times, Satan has been successful. Nehemiah would not come
down, for he went on to say, “Why should the work cease while I leave it and come down
to you?” He understood that distractions, regardless of how big or how small can
seriously impact our work for God.
8. Ganging Up! Ganging Up! People that throw rocks, generally like to hang out with
other rock throwers. Another way that I have heard it said is,. “Birds of a feather, flock
together, but so do pigs and swine” Sanballat and Tobiah are the main opposers to
Nehemiah, but we also read about Gesham and also another crony by the name of
Shemaiah that we are introduced to in chapter 6. Weak people with weak minds must
surround themselves with like minded people and that is exactly what was happening here
in Nehemiah.
9. Run The Rumor Mill! Run the Rumor Mill! Look at chapter 6:5-7. This passage
starts out, “It is reported among the nations”. As I read that I have to ask myself, “What
is reported among the nations? Who is reporting it? and To what nations?” I am kind of
Joe Friday, “Give me the facts lady, nothing but the facts” If you are going to report
something have the facts to back it up, for if not, the “report” can probably be ignored.
You may have heard it around here. Today is takes the form of “a lot of people are
saying” or maybe “some have said”. Whenever something is brought to your attention
and it cannot be substantiated with where it came from and who is saying it, generally you
can forget it. Why? Because Satan would like nothing better than for you and for you
and for me to spend time worrying and fussing over what amounts to nothing. In poker it
is called calling the cards. This is wehre you think the other person is bluffing and they u
must show their cards or fold. Not that I play poker, but my wife has told me about that!
Just kidding!
10. Religious Disguise! Religious Disguise! In 6:10 we ,meet a fellow by the name of
Shemaiah and he says to Nehemiah, “Let us meet in the house of God...”. Even the name
of God or God’s house, was employed to attempt to get Nehemiah off of the wall.
“Let’s pray about it”, is a powerful, powerful weapon in the arsenal of our God as we
seek to do His will and to honor His plan for our lives. But friends, it can also be a
powerful, powerful weapon in the hands of Satan as he attempts to stop, slow down and
impede our work for God. Nehemiah knew that if he stopped work and left the wall to
meet with Sanballat, Tobiah or Gesham, he knew that if he left the wall for any reason
other than because God told him directly to do so, that the work would stop. The work
would stop. The priests, the politicians, the perfumers and the goldsmiths would all take a
break.
The enemies of Nehemiah used all ten tactics to get his attention and to divert himfrom
completing wall. As we learned earlier, we often have opposition that comes at us from 2
or possibly even three of these points of view. Nehemiah faced all ten. When he faced all
ten what did he do? When we face any of these points of opposition what should we do?
What should be our response when we face opposition to the great works that God has
called us to.
How Should I Respond To Opposition?
1. Remember to pray! Remember to pray! Look at 4:4, “Hear O our God, for we are
despised.......” Instead of taking it out on others, talk it out with God. Each step of the
way, Nehemiah prayed. He prayed when he heard of the condition of the city and of the
wall. He prayed just before he laid out his plan before King Artaxerxes. He prayed as He
did his initial inspection around the wall. Even though it is not recorded in scripture, I am
sure that he prayed constantly as the work progressed. And now we find him praying
when his back is up against the wall and he is facing opposition from every direction.
Please note that he prayed all through the process, each step of the way.
What about you? Do you pray every step of the way? Honestly, probably not! Some of
us pray before we get started and then our natural human instincts take over and we
manage, manipulate and maneuver every thing that comes our way, doing so without the
direct impact of prayer and of God’s leading. Or maybe you get started through prayer
and pray through the project, but when your back is up against the wall you shrivel from
panic and stress and forget that the God who began a good work in and through you is
faithful to finish it! Or maybe, you, as I have a tendency to do sometimes, begin a project
with little thought of God’s plan, move into the day to day tasks needed to complete it as
I see it and then when our backs are up against the wall and we have no way out, then and
only then, do we seek His face to “Save Us”! Which camp do you find yourself in most of
the time? We need to remain in prayer all of time even when the opposition hits.
2. Reinforce Your Weaknesses! Reinforce your weaknesses! We read in Nehemiah 4:9
that after Nehemiah prayed they set guards around the wall. Now that is an important
principle that I think some times we miss. We say, well, we have prayed and we have
prayed and we have prayed and we were still overrun. Or we have prayed and prayed and
we prayed and nothing happened, or we prayed and we were still hurt.
You see these people did the prayerful thing but next, they also did the practical thing.
There are things that God wants to do that only God can do. But there are things that
God wants us to do that only we are meant to do. Pray as if it all depends on God and
work as if it all depends on you! The prayerful thing and the practical thing. Colossians
4:2 says, “devote yourselves to prayer and to being watchful.”
3. Return To Your Vision! Return to Your Vision! What was it that God originally
called Nehemiah to do? To rebuild the wall around Jerusalem! What is it that God has
called you to do? Maybe you started great and had an extra special portion of vigor and
energy, but somewhere along the way, the fire has started to fade and distractions have
come your way. You need to return to what He called you to do. You need to return to
that vision, just as Nehemiah did. He reminded himself, his workers and even those in
opposition to him that God had called him to this work and that he was going to complete
it. And since that was the case, no talking or discussion about safety, management or even
the disguised request to go into the temple for safety was going to get him off of the wall.
Sometimes talk can help, but some things like your calling from God are not up for
discussion. Sometimes talk can help, but things like your calling from God are not up for
discussion!
Henry Blackaby from Canada developed a great Christian growth workbook called
Experiencing God. In that God inspired work, he said that there are times in life when we
simply have to go back to the last time and maybe even place that God spoke to us and to
keep going in that direction until God speaks to us again. As human beings we get
side-tracked as we run the race, we have a tendency to take unscheduled off ramps on the
highway of life and we get temporarily turned around for a period of time. Some even
remain in that condition for life, having experienced a call of God but not knowing for
sure which way to turn at the intersection of life. Return to your vision, return to God and
He will show you the way, He will show you the path!
4. Resolve To Move With Movers! Resolve To Move with Movers! Just as those who
throw rocks, surround themselves with other rock throwers, we must resolve to surround
ourselves with the other movers in God’s Kingdom! It goes back to that momentum thing
that we talked about last week. Momentum is contagious, and excitement is contagious,
but so is depression and self-doubt. TOM CONWAY STORY.
5. Refuse To Argue! Refuse To Argue! Have you noticed that an argument lasts only as
long as people agree to argue. I mean as soon as one person decides to stop arguing it is
over. Eccl: 6:11 says, “the longer you argue, the more useless it is” and Prov 26:4 goes
on to suggest, “Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you will be like him.”
Nehemiah could have stood on top of the wall and refused to come down to there level
and still argued and shouted back at them. And if he had done so, the enemy would have
been successful. How? His attention would have been diverted from his task and his
workers would have been in full ear shot of the two-sided argument. Nehemiah did not do
this, he simply responded, “No not now, I am busy!” End of discussion. Refuse to
argue!
6. When you have to respond, Respond in Private! Respond In Private! Matthew
18:15 says, “If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the
two of you”. This is the very basis of biblical conflict resolution and you have heard me
talk about this before. I am sure that Nehemiah would have gone off of the wall after its
completion and went to people like Shemaiah and sat down and had a frank but loving
conversation about what had transpired.
When you have a problem with someone in this church, you are to go to them one on one
and discuss it and pray together about it. Please note that it does not say that you are to
complain, gripe and fuss about it to the general. Here’s the principle, “Try to work it out
privately before you ever make it public!”
7. Refuse to Quit! Refuse to Quit!. Next week the entire message will be on the Power
of Determination, so refuse to quit. Opposition comes but that is no reason to quit. Jesus
said, “Anyone who starts to plow and then keeps looking back is of no use for the
kingdom of God.”
What was the one thing that Sanballet and Tobiah wanted from Nehemiah, what was the
one thing? They wanted Nehemiah to quit! They wanted the workers on the wall to
come down. What is the one thing that Satan wants from you in your journey with Jesus
Christ? What’s the one thing the devil wants from you? He wants you to quit! He wants
you to stop following Jesus Christ! He wants you to stop living your life for Jesus Christ!
Specifically, what would Satan want you to quit this morning? Would he want some of
you to quit building your marriage? Would he want some of you to stop building your
integrity and stop building your character? Does he want you to give up on your prayer
time? Does he want you to give up in your pursuit of being a student of the bible? Is
there a friendship that was once important to you and now you are tempted to give it up?
Friends even though opponents will come and go. Even though temptations to quit will be
plentiful let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus
who began to build and to form faith in us. Who will continue to build faith in us if we do
not quit!
Let’s pray!
Invitation
